We are here!

Plains, trains, and automobiles!  We have made it to Liberia.  It took 8 hours on the train, a subway ride, a sky train, 15 hours at JFK Airport, and two airplane rides (13hrs).  All that and all went smooth.  Praise the Lord.  Augustine met us at the airport with a wonderful group of volunteers that helped us load our luggage and got us to Brewerville.  Brewerville is where we are building the school/trade center.  My favorite part of the day was the hour drive through Liberia.  It was full of all the sights and sounds of Africa that I love.  There were so many people going about there daily lives, women carrying baskets on their heads and babies on their back.  People on the side of the road selling Palm Wine, fish, gasoline, cell phones, clothes, chicken's feet, you name it.  Children in uniform making their way to school.  While other children were working in iron yards, fruit stands, or just playing.  My heart felt at home and I am blessed.  I wish my children were all here to see what I see and experience what I am experiencing.  One day babies, mommy loves you and misses you all. xoxo

-Tania

  

It has begun!!

Train to Manhattan 

"Welcome to my country" video

Here's a video I found this week on You Tube.  Its a bit touristy at first but I did enjoy it overall.  

Check it out!

It's Almost here!!

I can not believe in less then a month we will be in Liberia!  I am so excited!  Make sure to follow while we are there.  The team will be posting pictures and messages as often as we can while in country.  Liberia has hydro, it's just not reliable.

I have asked Augustine to send us a list of items that would help his ministry.  We are hoping to bring some of these.  

                              - projector (for seminars and leader training)

                              - school supplies

                              

We are also looking for the following items to aid in our ministry:

                              - Men's dress shirts

                              - soccer balls

                              - toiletry items

                              - work gloves

                              - first aid equipment (band aids, polisporin, peroxide, tenser bandages)

                              - hard candies

If you are wanting to donate any of these items would be great.  Here is a list of items we can not take.

             - Crayons (they melt in the heat)

             - prescription medication
             - heavy items i.e. construction material
             - Food

             

Loss and Grace

The month of September has been rather tough for our family.  My mother in law, Sharon, unexpectedly passed away.  Sharon had been diagnosed with cancer in July.  It was not the cancer that took her.  It was a lung infection and other complications that ended her life.  Even though it was one of the hardest things our family has faced, we were blessed by God's grace through it all.  A friend of mine told me the other day that worrying about what could be is far worse then when it actually happens.  It is in the time of need or during a crisis that God blesses us with his Grace.  God does not call us to worry and therefore worry cannot be surrounded with grace.  This is so true.  During our moment of crisis the grace that surpasses all understanding surrounded our family.  Sharon's life was full.  She was a teacher for many years, involved in her community, and wonderful Grandmother.  Even though we will miss her, to have the reasurrance that we will one day be joined in heaven is amazing.  I know this is a blog dedicated to the YFC mission in Liberia, I felt like I needed to share this.  When our friend Dan Zumi from Ghana said to me "we do not need to cry for the problems we see in our World, for if we did we never would stop crying.  Instead smile and thank God every day.  He is good."  Dan was talking to about worry.  I am a cryer and I always will be.  God made my heart very sensitive and my eyes very leaky.  It is not those tears that are the problem.  It is the worry and hopelessness that IS the problem.  Give it to God.  Do your part, pray, give thanks, and he will do what he does best.